Ezekiel in Hebrew- Ye chezk ‘El means- “God will strengthen.” Ezekiel’s ministry was that of strengthening God’s people.

Ezekiel is our patron prophet for the Ezekiel Network for several reasons. There are many images, themes and metaphors in the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel that are relevant to our vision and mission.

“And he [GOD] said to me, ‘Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.’ 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, ‘Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.’ Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.’ ” (Ezekiel 3:1-4)

The two major thrusts are these:

1) Strengthening the Jewish People. Ezekiel was the prophet sent to the Israelite people who had gone into exile in Babylon in the 6^th century BCE. Ezekiel was called to strengthen the Jewish people by bringing God’s Word to them there— interpreting to the to the people the big spiritual and theological issues of the day: why they were in exile, God’s purposes and calling for them there, how they should then live, and delivering visions of future hope, restoration and glory.

In the Diaspora of Greater Los Angeles of today, there are over 500,000 Jewish people. We seek to do as he did—to strengthen the Jewish people in Southern California by bring God’s Word to them, from the Hebrew Scriptures (the Tanakh) and the New Covenant Scriptures, applying he Biblical worldview to the spiritual, theological, moral and cultural issues they face here and now.

The greatest message, and the foundation for the true strength and hope for the Jewish people is the promise of receiving eternal life. forgivness of sins, and inner transformation by the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit), based on faith in Messiah’s atonement and resurrection—a “new heart and new spirit” — and incorporation into the spiritually renewed Israel.

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

2) Strengthening the Christian Movement, or the Church. Ezekiel was strengthened as he “ate the scroll.” So we seek to strengthen the Church of Messiah/Body of Christ through teaching the Hebrew Scriptures as essential to the life of the church and to the full Biblical worldview. There has been an increasing loss of the Judeo-Christian worldview in America since the postmodern and post-Christian shift of the 1960s. We aim to strengthen believers by helping them to internalize the Scriptures, and learning to apply them prophetically to the big issues of the day. We are called to equip Christians to help their families, friends and churches be more Jewish-friendly in their understanding, communications and faith practices.